ISLAMABAD: A report by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has revealed alarmingly low attendance during the 20th session of Pakistan’s National Assembly, with only 17 percent of members attending all sittings and 11 percent absent for the entire session.
The six-sitting session, held between September 29 and October 10, saw significant absenteeism. According to FAFEN, 55 lawmakers attended all sittings, while 37 skipped the entire session. The first sitting recorded the highest attendance with 224 members (69 percent) present, whereas the third sitting saw the lowest, with just 155 members (47 percent). Overall, 272 MNAs (83 percent) missed at least one sitting — 90 of whom applied for official leave, while 182 were absent without submitting leave applications.
Among cabinet members, only one federal minister and one minister of state attended all sittings. Six federal ministers and one state minister did not attend any, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also marked absent throughout the session.
A protest erupted in the Press Gallery when journalists staged a walkout after a PTI member used abusive language against senior journalist Aijaz Ahmed. The Speaker later directed some lawmakers to meet the protesting journalists. Despite the disruption, the House passed the Asaan Karobar Bill 2025 during the same sitting.
FAFEN noted that the Question Hour was deferred, suspended, or poorly attended in most sittings. In the final sitting, questions for nine ministries were listed, but only three ministries — Planning, Development and Special Initiatives; Federal Education and Professional Training; and Finance and Revenue — were taken up, without any of their ministers present. Out of 29 ministers designated to respond, only five showed up during the session.
Regional data showed varying attendance levels:
Islamabad: 2 of 3 MNAs attended all sittings.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 40 MNAs (75%) attended more than half the sittings; 16 attended all.
Sindh: 11 MNAs attended all sittings.
Balochistan: 10 MNAs (50%) attended more than half; 4 attended all.
Punjab: recorded the lowest participation — 51 percent attended less than half the sittings.
In gender comparison, 67 percent of female MNAs attended more than half of the sittings, with 21 maintaining full attendance. Six female MNAs, including one on a general seat, did not attend any sitting.
Party-wise, most members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP), Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan (JUIP), and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) attended more than half of the sittings. The National Party (NP) recorded perfect attendance, while members of PML-Zia and PKMAP were among the least present.
FAFEN’s findings highlight a concerning pattern of parliamentary absenteeism, raising questions over legislative accountability and public representation in the country’s top lawmaking body.
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